Seeking the Lord's help and your
very prayerful attention, I direct your thoughts this afternoon
to the book of the Proverbs, chapter 18, reading verse 10. The book of the Proverbs, chapter
18, reading verse 10. The name of the Lord is a strong
tower. The righteous runneth into it.
and is safe. Proverbs chapter 18 verse 10,
the name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous runneth
into it and is safe. What a mysterious character on
the page of Holy Scripture is Solomon. he had a most godly
father and he had some very precious promises concerning his birth
and his life that were given to his father concerning his
son Solomon and yet we know that though he began so well a great
part of his life was that one of backsliding where wealth and
privilege and power seemed to take over and almost stifle the
work of grace, which we do believe was begun in his heart at some
stage probably early in his days. According to the covenant given
to his father, the Lord did not take his mercy from him, though
he chastened him sore for his backsliding. But the point I
would make is, nonetheless, he was used of God by the Holy Spirit
to give us three books in the Holy Scriptures. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes,
and the Song of Solomon. It would seem to me the Book
of the Proverbs was written in his early days. Ecclesiastes
shows his time when he sought pleasure out of Christ, in a
Gospel sense, and couldn't find it, and came to that solemn conclusion
after much searching, vanity of vanities, all is vanity. But when we come to the Song
of Solomon, it was seen that he once more found his beloved,
his beloved had once more found him. So God overrules, does he
not? And we do believe that Solomon
is safe in glory, by grace, free grace alone, and his sins are
recorded not for us to copy, but for us to be warned, that
even the most great of believers, left to themselves, are but men. I'm afraid if that was true of
Solomon, how true that is of you and I, or how we need to
be kept, and daily kept, hourly kept, But now we have a very
precious word before us this afternoon, and one that's been
a help to the Church of God ever since. Solomon was inspired by
the Holy Ghost to write it. The name of the Lord is a strong
tower. The righteous runneth into it
and is safe. It seems to be we have three
things before us this afternoon. We first of all have this, the
righteous. Then secondly we have this very
precious expression, the name of the Lord that is the strong
tower. And thirdly we have the running
into it, the safety that comes within its sacred precincts. The name of the Lord is a strong
tower. The righteous runneth into it
and is saved. There may be one or more of you
listening this afternoon, or in one way or another, feel to
need a strong talent. You are weak. You are prone to
wonder. you are prone to fall, often
in the ditch, often need lifting up, you long for that stability,
that security, that rest that comes within this sacred tower,
of which Nahum speaks in his prophecy, The Lord is good and
strong on the day of trouble, and he knoweth them that trust
in him. Let us consider the righteous. And if you know your Bibles well,
and I hope you do, you'll know that the word of God tells us,
Paul tells us, and other parts of God's scripture confirm it,
there is none righteous, no not one. What is Paul saying there? Does that contradict our text?
Is our text only then a theory? Just like a mirage that's not
experienced? No, Paul is quite right. God
writing through Paul is reminding us that by nature none of us
are righteous. We come forth from the womb speaking
lies. Our life very soon bears testimony
to the root of corruption within us. We're prone to wonder, though
we may have a religious background, some of us, many of us have.
But friend, it is only hidden, as it were, within a corrupt
tree that brings forth corrupt fruit that we're only too well
aware of. if we are alive unto God and
godliness this afternoon. So you may say then, if that
is so, then who can be righteous? We ask that question even as
the past disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, when he said it's
easier for a camel to go to the eye of a needle than for a rich
man to enter heaven. Well, friends, Peter said, nor
who then can be saved? and the Lord gave a wonderful
answer. It may be a help to one of you
this afternoon, who has had a burden over your soul's salvation. It
has become an impossibility. You know, dear friend, before
sinners appreciate the Gospel, it becomes an impossibility to
be saved in their own experience. They are an impossible case,
an uttermost case. What did the Lord say to Peter?
The things which are impossible with man, are possible with God. For those who feel the impossibility
of salvation this afternoon, and feel to be almost beyond
the reach of grace, never forget, with God, all things are possible. Now then, who then are the righteous? Because there must be righteous
ones, as our text says, and the psalm we read spoke ably of them. Well, God's people are righteous
in three ways. Firstly, they are made righteous
by something within them. Secondly, they are made righteous
by something done for them. And thirdly, they are made righteous,
or they are righteous we should say, by their fruits. Because
the Lord Jesus Christ said, a corrupt tree bringeth forth corrupt fruit,
but a good tree bringeth forth good fruit. And what are the
fruits of the righteous in our text? They are running, running
into this tower, this strong tower, this blessed refuge, this
blessed recourse from the weary and tempted by sin. So these
three things then, that make a righteous man, something within
him. I've told you he's not born with
it. No, he's born totally corrupt, totally dead, spiritually. So what takes place to make a
righteous man? nothing less than the new birth
can make a righteous man. Upbringing, good though it may
be, if it is morally good, we do not decry that. Yes, an honest
life is a good thing, and parents who take care of you, to bring
you up wisely, that is good. And those of us who are brought
up to attend the house of prayer, yes, that is good. Remember the
Sabbath day to keep it holy. All these things are good. But
my dear friend, they don't make a righteous man. What makes a
righteous man? Nicodemus and the woman of Samaria
both had to learn the lesson. It is summed up in those well-known
words, Marvel not that I say unto you, Ye must be born again. Every righteous man in his experience
is a man who has been born again by the Holy Spirit. That is the
grand distinction between the wicked and the righteous, between
the evil and the upright, between the one in the broad road that
leads to destruction, and the one who is in the narrow way
that leadeth unto life eternal. And it is an act of sovereign
grace or sin abounding. It is a free act of a triune
God to send forth into that hitherto dark, desolate heart the new
birth, a new nature, a new heart, a new spirit. Truly, dear friend,
this is a wondrous thing, that God the Father, through the sending
of the Spirit, it comes from him through the Son, should quicken
a soul into divine life and create a righteous, holy principle within. A holy principle that cannot
lie, that cannot sin, because it is the very Spirit of Christ.
It is the very Spirit of God. as are led by the Spirit of God,
they are the sons of God. And strangely enough, the very
presence of this holy principle, newly granted, makes the recipient
of it feel such a sinner. He doesn't feel to be righteous,
anything but. the new nature under the Spirit,
as the candle of the Lord probes the deep recesses of his heart,
as the work of grace goes on, so it deepens. Some of us, dear
friends, are much greater sinners now than we were when we were
first called by grace. All the hidden recesses in the
heart are exposed by the candle of the Lord, because of the very
presence of the holy nature within that God has given. So first
of all then, It is a new nature. We come back in a moment to the
fruits of it. But to be very sure, none of
us have a right to be called righteous unless we are born
again by the Holy Spirit. Secondly, there is something
done for them, vitally. Because as I said just now, the
very presence of the Holy Spirit within reveals the sad, solemn,
awesome state of our fallen nature. It shows us the debt under God's
holy, perfect, just law. It shows us we sinned in thought
and word and deed. It shows us we cannot bring forth
that obedience God justly demands, and that payment that justice
justly demands of us for our transgressions. This is a thing
that we need to lay well to heart, and those who are born again
in the Spirit know it well, that if they are to be saved, then
another must provide a righteousness for them. If they have an eternity
to spend, they could never produce the righteousness that God is
worthy of, as we his humble followers. So where is that one to be found?
Well, blessed be God's holy name. There is one at the right hand
of God this afternoon who bears that name, Jesus Christ the righteous. Why is he called the righteous?
Because he, in his holy life here below, has worked out, lived
out, that perfect righteousness the Lord jutted to man's honours. In thought and word and in deed,
he went to the end of the Lord, for righteousness' sake. His
very name is called Jehovah Sidkenu, the Lord, our righteousness. We'll come back to that in a
moment. But here is the one, the only one, who can provide
a covering of righteousness for us. This is very important because
without that covering we are exposed to the all-consuming
fire of God's eternal justice. Out of Christ's almighty power
can do nothing but devour. So we find, do we not then, that
we need one another's obedience and the way in which that was
wrought out and brought into the possession of his church,
that great number given by the Father to the Son to redeem all
who are quickened by divine grace. It became as a divine legacy. You will know that a legacy only
becomes powerful when the one who has made the will dies. Then
the recipients of the will benefit from it. And so, dear friend,
it was through the death of Jesus Christ that the benefits of this
blessed legacy of His righteousness and Holy Spirit and grace is
made over His dear people. As William Gatsby said, every
grace and every favour comes to us through Jesus' blood. So
it does. Just as it was at the gates of
the Garden of Eden, our first parents, they were clothed at
the expense of the life of another. They were cleansed at the expense
of the life of another. And that, dear friend, is what
Christ has done. He's the Lamb of God which has
taken away the sin of the world. The righteous are clothed at
Christ's expense. They are washed at Christ's expense. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son, cleansed us from all sin. I do notice this, dear friends,
that what the Holy Ghost reveals in our heart of sin, the blood
of Christ cleanses. And the more the Spirit reveals
of sin, the deeper the blood of Christ goes. However deep
the Holy Ghost may go in showing your depravity, so deep does
the blood of Christ go. What a mercy that is. It's answered
the claims of a broken law. It satisfied divine justice.
It has indeed brought righteousness to the Church of Christ that
has become theirs. Jesus Christ the righteous. And you know I've often spoken
of it like a bride going to get married. She goes in in her own
name. By the time she comes out of
the ceremony she has a husband's name. That is in Christian marriage
of course. The husband's name is Jehovah Sidkenu, the Lord
Our Righteousness. That now becomes her name, as
we read twice in Jeremiah. He shall be called the Lord Our
Righteousness. She shall be called it. This
is the family name. It explains, dear friends, the
language in Revelation where it says, And unto her was granted
she would be clothed in fine linen, which is the righteousness
of saints. granted means something was given.
All the righteousness the saints above wear is the obedience Christ
has given them. It's become theirs by a divine
gift, an irreversible gift. Nonetheless, it's Christ's obedience
that clothes them. It's the wedding garment that
makes us fit, prepared to sit down at the marriage supper of
the Lamb. Without a seam, this garment's
bequeath an everlasting love. Yes, a royal robe designed by
God to cover his dear people. So here, dear friends, is the
second thing. God's people are righteous by
what they are within, by grace and grace alone, and they are
right of what is done for them by the dear Son of God, the dear
Lord Jesus Christ. our advocate, the right to come. The third point about the righteous
then is this, the Lord our righteousness. Do you remember this, dear friends,
that there are fruits. If he is our righteousness, and
if he's within our heart, by righteousness, then yes, there
are fruits. By their fruits you shall know
them. One fruit is the knowledge of ourselves as a sinner. to
grieve, to mourn, to weep over it. Another fruit is to know
our helplessness, our hopelessness in God's account. Another fruit
is to begin to pray for mercy. God be merciful to me, a sinner,
and not to let go until we obtain the blessing. Like Jacob said,
I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And the fruit
in our text is they run. the righteous runneth into this
strong tower and is saved. This is the fruit of the Spirit
in their heart. They don't loiter, they don't
stroll. Matters are too important for
that. You know, we have the picture
in the Old Testament of the man who slain another man and
was being pursued by the family of that man. and there were cisterns
of refuge whereby the one being pursued could shelter and not
be accosted by the one who had killed them. There were blood
feuds in those days, and it went on for generations sometimes.
The Lord made this provision to bring such things to an end,
but just as you were that man being pursued, a man thirsting
for your blood, for your life, you wouldn't loiter, you wouldn't
stroll, or you put all the energy you'd got to get into a safe
haven which you knew was there. And so the coming sinner, the
running sinner, the righteous man, oh, he daren't rest until
he finds Christ, till he's inside the city of refuge, inside this
name of the Lord, there's a strong tower, the righteous runneth
into it and it's safe. And do notice it says runneth,
present tense. They did run when the work of
grace began, but they had to continually run. We need to continually
make resort to it. Often guilt overtakes us. Often
temptation overtakes us. Back to the refuge you must go. The refuge for sinners the gospel
makes known. It is found in the merits of
Jesus alone, the weary, the tempted, burdened by sin, were never exempted
from entering their inn. This refuge in Jesus is loved
and ordained, in Jesus the Lamb for eternity's sake. And if God
the Spirit reveal this to you, take refuge in Jesus, though
hell should pursue. Is hell pursuing you this afternoon,
do you feel it? Is the devil busy, the world,
your wretched heart, or can I ever be saved? Here's the refuge. The name of the Lord is a strong
tower. It's a door always open, day
and night, never shut to the coming sinner. And why the name
of the Lord? What is there so special about
the Lord's name? Well, the Lord's name has three
characteristics among many that make it a suitable refuge. First of all, it's a holy refuge. That is important. You say, why
is that important? Because, dear friend, if it was
an unholy one, God's holy law would demolish it. God's justice
would bring it to be a ruin. No, it's a holy refuge. Bless
God for that. It's holy because it's a holy
name here. Secondly, dear friend, it's a
faithful refuge. Because the name of the Lord
is a faithful name, isn't it? And the third thing is, it is
a name to be pleaded. Now here is the proof of the
righteous man. He pleads by God's grace successfully
the name of the Lord. What names do we plead then as
this coming sinner? We don't plead our own name.
It's worthless. We can't plead our denominational
name or our family name. These may be as it were precious
to us in a social sense, but they won't save our soul. Oh,
there's no other name given of our men under heaven whereby
we must be saved. This precious name that is ointment
brought forth to the Church of Christ. It's a strong tower. So what are the names? First
of all, we find the name of Jesus. Oh, what a strong tower that
is. many sinners have come and found
it to be a place of security, a place of rest, where the law
is satisfied, where the devil cannot hinder and the world cannot
snatch, or to get within that rest. Lord, I believe a rest
remains to all thy people, dear, a rest where pure enjoyment reigns,
thou art loved alone. is Jesus he shall save his people
from their sins and friends when you come as a guilty sinner it's
the only name to plead isn't it the name of Jesus he shall
save his people from their sins that's a mercy isn't it the name
of the Lord is a strong tower again that name Emmanuel God
with us Oh, we've got mighty foes, have we not? Mighty foes
within, mighty foes without. Oh, unless we have the name of
the Lord as a strong tower, Emmanuel, God with us, where could we be?
Again, he has the name, the mighty God, the everlasting Father,
the Prince of Peace. These are wonderful names he
bears on behalf of his dear people. They are a strong tower. God's
promises are a strong tower because God has put the honour and glory
of his name as their strength. If God were to fail to fulfil
the promise he had given to his church, then his name would be
dishonoured and his throne would become unstable. It cannot be. Sooner all nature shall change
than one of God's promises fail. So when God gives you a promise,
dear friend, you may plead that name. It's a good name. It's a blessed name. As I thought
of this, I thought of godly Moses. And it shows the grace of that
dear man. When Israel has sinned so basely
that Zion and the eye get away to idolatry, the Lord said to
Moses, I'll make of thee a great nation. Now a covetous man would
have jumped at that. Oh yes, that's good for me. I
don't mind being the leader of a great nation. What did Moses
say? Lord, if that is so, what will
thou do with thy great name? Thou didst say thou would bring
this people to the land of Canaan. And if thou does not, then what
about thy great name? Oh, the Lord heard that cry,
didn't he? Because Moses was pleading the honor of the name,
the faithfulness of it. And now, dear friend, that promise
is given you, you can go back with God's help to Him in the
same way. And we say, Lord, thy name and
the honour of thy name is at stake in this matter. If thou
dost fail in this, then I fail in everything. But God cannot
fail. Sooner or later shall change
them. One of God's promises failed. Now the righteous, they run to
these sacred promises to plead them and to prove them. they
run to the promise God gives them in application, that comes
just where they are in their pathway from time to time. Or
that name of the Lord's a strong tower, the righteous run into
it and is saved, and friend is a proved tower. Or there are
those we read of, do we not, in Revelation 7, who've come
out of great tribulation. They've washed their robes and
made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Yet they prove,
while they are here below, the strength of this great tower.
They are living witnesses. You read Hebrews 11, and it's
a long catalogue of those who prove the name of the Lord a
strong tower. It is indeed. The name that was
a strong tower, the rise into this state, and then it's a tried
one, isn't it? I think, my dear friends, of
our Lord Jesus Christ, because He is the strong tower. that's
provided by the Father. Oh, how trite he was. Hell and all its legions came
against him. The world came against all the
devilish skill it had. Even his saints were not reliable,
were they? What a lonely path he walked.
And then divine justice demanded of him the only he could give. a perfect obedience, a perfect
atonement. Oh friends, were he not a strong
tower, there would be no gospel to preach. But oh blessed be
his holy name, he's conquered all the opponents, the devil,
the world, the flesh, and he satisfied divine justice. And
so friends, divine justice opened the door of mercy. The door of
mercy to this tower would not have been opened were not justice
satisfied. For justice cries, I am satisfied
now, henceforth, forever. But never forget the cost. Never
forget what the dear Saviour went through, who you might have
a strong tower this afternoon hour to flee to. What he endured,
no tongue can tell, to save our souls from death and hell. Let us just, with God's help,
speak of one or two sinners who ran and found mercy. I think, first of all, the woman
who brought the alabaster box of ointment and poured it upon
the near Saviour's head, and with the odour of it filled the
house. We read in Song of Solomon, Thy
name is as ointment poured forth, therefore the virgins love thee.
There were those who were offended by this act of love. They were
taught basically about this poor woman who had shown her love.
But the Lord Jesus Christ was a strong tower for her, wasn't
he? He said, let her alone, he said. She's wrought a good work
on me. She's anointed the day of my
burial. At the end of time, this will be spoken, what this woman
has done. Friend, the name of the Lord preserved her. It stood
round her, and it preserved her those unkind words that were
being spoken. Again, think of Ruth, in the
gleaning field of Boaz. I commanded thy man, my young
man, not to touch thee. And friends, he had his name,
as it were, his honor in that gleaning field. And it was like
a shield around the dear woman. And later on, when he spread
his skirt over her, she became his, did she not? And she proved
the strength of Boaz, that mighty man of wealth, that near kinsman,
blessed be his holy name. And then we think of Jacob. They remember Jacob who was a
man who was plucked as a bran from the burning. Bethel the
Lord met with him for the first time it would seem and made him
a praying man, made him a pleading man. Then many years go on and
he has to go down into Laban's house and oh what he endured
there. The Word of God says, I've seen
all that Laban has done unto thee. You say, why did the Lord
leave him there so long then? It was a very necessary school
of divine discipline. Friend, the Lord won't bring
you out of your school of discipline until it's done its work. The
Lord knew very well what labor was about. But it was a testing
time for Jake. It was a trying time. At last,
friend, he's commanded to go back home. And you will find
two things happen, or three, shall we say. One was a great
host of angels appeared and friends that must be because he needed
it. The angel or he can be the value of them that fear him and
deliver them he needed it. Laban tried to drag him back
and friend the world will try to drag you back and Esau tried
to oppose him going forward and the world will do that and the
devil as well. What was to be done? He greatly
feared when he heard that news, easel come with 400 men. There was no doubt about the
intention when he easels it out from home. There's a lion. What was to be done? Why there
were many persons sent before him, but that didn't do the deed,
dear friends, that was not it. It was that night of wrestling
prayer that could wonders do, bring relief in deepest straits.
When the day dawned, the angel of the covenant said, let me
go, the day breaketh. No, no says jacob i will not
let thee go except thou bless me he said what is thy name jacob's
name first what is thy name oh dear friends what how could he
say he deceived his father years before pretended he was easel
friend you can't deceive a holy god jacob was in the presence
of almighty god he dared tell a lie on Jacob, all that it meant,
all the connotations of that name Jacob, the deceit, the supplanting,
the cunning, all what lay with that name Jacob. Thou shalt no
more be called Jacob, for as a man, as a prince, thou hast
rebelled with God and with man, and thou shalt be called Israel,
the new nature, being a new name. Yes, the old name forgotten in
my judicial sight, You're a pardoned man, Jacob. But the point was
he overcame Esau, didn't he? That's where the battle was won.
That's why Esau became a lamb rather than lion. It was that
wrestling prayer, pleading the name. And Jacob said, what is
thy name? Why did I ask of it? The Lord
said it's secret. And why does he say that? Well,
two things Jacob did not need to ask him once he'd heard that
name at Bethel. Jacob, you know it. Once a sinner
near despair sought thy mercy's seat through prayer. Mercy came
and set him free. That poor sinner Lord was me.
That's how the spiritual language. And now, The Lord blessed him
that he knew that it was the angel of the covenant. That wonderful
name. That name that is above every
name. Yes, in the gospel, the name of Jesus. Friends, Jacob
and that spirit ran, didn't it? The refuge. The navel's a strong
tower, the righteous run into it and is safe. Then he go with
Moses to the cleft of the rock, hidden there while the Lord proclaimed
his name before him. He stood at the top of the bottom
of the mountain, exceedingly feared and quaked under the sound
of divine justice, the Holy Lord. But the Lord put him into the
cleft of the rock, that type of Christ, covered him there
with his hand while the glory passed by, and he proclaimed
his name. It was the gospel name, wasn't
it? The name that is above every name, the name whereby sinners
must be saved. Moses saw it as clearly as Abraham
did years before, the coming Saviour. He saw it in the cleft
of the rock. In the cleft of the rock, when
God's glory passes by, we are saved. But if we make God's glory
out of that cleft, we are lost. We are ruined. Again we have
that word, I think of the dear dying thief. He pleaded the name
didn't he? He hung on that cross. A wondrous
change took place in that man's heart. born again of the Spirit,
confessing his own sin, reproving the other thief, and then turned
to the dear Saviour, whom he had said there was no fault in
him, done nothing amiss. He saw the superscription, I
believe, above the dear Saviour's head, the King of the Jews. And
faith was given to believe him, that he was a king, and he had
a kingdom, and that there were subjects. and that thought crossed
his awakened mind. Is it possible that I could be
one of those subjects? Is it possible that my unworthy
name could be found among those whom he lists as his own? And
he ventures. What a venture! I have often
thought, dear friends, it was one of the greatest ventures
of the whole of Scripture. That man's whole life had been
lived in Satan's service until he came to the cross. Even on
it at first he railed against the Saviour. in these latest
moments wrought by the Spirit. But Francis pleaded the name,
didn't he? And he proved it. Verily I say unto thee today,
shalt thou be with me in paradise. He proved the name was a strong
tower. It plucked him as it ran from the burning, the very borders
of the pit. He was taken safe home to glory
in paradise. The name that was a strong tower
the right to run into and to say. And then there's this thought,
isn't there, when we come on bended knee, if not literally
in spirit, what name is it we plead? Oh, the hymn writer puts
it so beautifully. This is the name. The father
loves to hear his children plead. And all such pleading he approves
and blesses them indeed. Whatsoever he asks in my name,
says the dear saviour, I will do it. Also, when we come as
a guilty sinner, we're fleeing, aren't we? Not to the tower,
this strong tower. When we come as a tempted sinner,
we flee to the strong tower. We plead the name. There's above
every name. It's that name that fills heaven
with joy, the odour poured forth within the realms of the bliss. Sometimes it's poured forth in
the hearts of God's dear children, and it makes them run, doesn't
it? It makes them run. the righteous runneth into it
and is saved. That brings us to the next point,
the safety within the walls of this blessed tower. The safety. What we are saved first of all
from Satan. He is a defeated foe within that
tower. He has already been defeated
by he who is that tower. Again the world has been overcome
which you have overcome the world that's been defeated and then
again we have the sins of God's people have been defeated there
for satan in his cruelty hurled at the dear redeemer all the
temptation possibly bring for his hellish archery just to try
and cause the saviour to sin but he never succeeded so a victory
has been gained there and the law is satisfied just as it is
completely paid within this blessed refuge, and death itself. Oh, the wonderful thing, friend,
death has defeated foe for the believer. Within this strong
tower, the dying saint is safe. In that dread moment, oh, to
hide beneath Christ's sheltering blood, till Jordan's icy waves
divide and land my soul with God. O blessed be God's holy
name, death's already defeated. When we come there, dear friends,
if we are believers by grace, we will prove it to be so. The defeated foe, the sting taken
away, the curse removed, shelter for a dying soul. a dying sinner,
a dying saint, we should say, within this blessed refuge. The
name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous runneth
into it. And notice three last things. First of all, they run. Friend,
it's a solemn matter to have an ever-dying soul. And eternity
before is a day of judgment. We don't think enough about it.
And if we thought more about it, we would run more often.
We loiter, we stroll, we sit down sometimes, and we should
be running. May God keep us earnestly. I will run in the way of thy
commandments, says the good hymn, the good psalmist, when thou
shalt enlarge my heart. And again, my soul followeth
hard after thee, thou art my strong refuge. Ah, dear friends,
what a mercy, if that is so, following hard, close after the
Lord. That's the first thing. There
is what we might call a holy energy here. Some of us in the
early days remember it. Oh, how we beseeched the throne
of grace, how we knocked on the door of mercy, how we scanned
God's holy word, how we drank in the word, we heard in the
word, poured in the house of God, because our soul was so
precious. They were running days, weren't
they? We must not cease to run, must we? We have not yet got
to heaven. As Paul says, forget as things
are behind, I reach forth under as things are before. He is still
running, wasn't he? Right to the end of his days.
Secondly, dear friends, it is the running into it. We are not
safe outside of Christ. If you are a true runner, you
will not be satisfied without Christ. You won't be satisfied
just to be running, but that is a great mercy. You won't be
satisfied just to know there is a refuge. Is it for you? That's the point. Until you've
proved it for you, you won't be satisfied. You can't be at
rest, can you? My soul is pain or can it be at rest? Fine, rest
in thee. But we would not set you short,
dear friends. You mustn't trust in your running.
as one good man said, quoting the Lord's own words, strive
to enter in at the straight gate. It is not by our striving that
we get in, but without striving we never will. For the strength
is the Lord's we know. Or there might be holy energy
given to us, and not to rest until we found rest in Christ,
or not to come short. Paul warns us, any regime to
come short of it, just outside the rest, not actually in it.
If that man pursuing, that I spoke of earlier, grabbed that man
just outside the gate, the man was lost, wasn't he? But once
he crossed the threshold, he was saved. Which brings me to
my last point, dear friends, That is this. Oh, the wonderful
thing is there was a type in the Old Testament times. It's
so sweet, aren't they? The man who hid in the city of
refuge had to remain there until the high priest died. When the
high priest died, he could go out. And if he met his pursuer
then he said, no, you can't touch me because the priest has died.
The high priest has died. So friends, where we're assaulted
again, assailed again. Yes, we want to keep in the refuge
in one sense, but you know what I mean? We have a plea, have
we not? Christ that died. Or when the
devil gets busy, Christ that died. When a wretched heart gets
busy, it's Christ that died. When we come down to die, it's
Christ that died. This is making good use of the
refuge, isn't it? Good use of the stronghold. The name of the Lord is a strong
tower, the righteous runneth into it, and is saved. Yes, who is among you then that
feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that
walketh in darkness, hath no light? Let him trust the name
of the Lord as the strong tower, and stay lean upon his guard. That brings me to this point,
does it not? The welcome. Friend, the welcome there is.
in this strong tower for every coming sinner, every devil-dragged
sinner, every tempted sinner, every guilty sinner, everyone
who is longing for rest for their soul. Listen to the Saviour's
own words. Come unto me, all ye that labour
and are heavy laden. I will give you rest. Again,
come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though your sins
be as scarlet, they be as white as snow, though they be red like
crimson, they shall be as wool. The name of the Lord is, present
tense, today, for your present need, a strong tower, the righteous
runneth into it, drawn by sovereign grace, compelled by the Blessed
Spirit, without whom they could not take one step. But he which
hath begun a good work in you will perform it to the day of
Jesus Christ. Covenant mercy ensures the righteous
shall hold on his way. Amen.